24 Seriously Easy & Fun Things To Do As A Family At Home

Fun Things To Do At Home With Kids

Are you ready for this?

We are going to talk all about fun things to do as a family at home. And parents know that this is important.

Heck, these ideas are vital for our survival some days.

OK, that may have been a bit extreme. Our actual survival is not on the line. But it can certainly feel that way.

Here is something I have been thinking about quite a bit lately.

One GIANT thing that we can learn from kids is slowness. They are (usually) not in a hurry. Kids don’t go through their days trying to just get things done or check things off of a list.

My daughter could take what would normally be a 10-minute walk and easily stretch it to ten times that. She’ll find a stick or a leaf or see an animal and examine it for what feels like 2 hours.

Her mind becomes completely focused on this one thing. Now, she is 8 and for that reason alone obviously doesn’t have to be concerned with so many other things as I do. Like all adults do. Such as having food in the fridge and toilet paper in the hall closet.

So while we may not be able to be as carefree as children tend to be…we can absolutely still try our best to make time to slow down (even just a tiny bit).

Also, here is another important idea I have been pondering.

Think about the times you say no. Are you saying no for a legitimate reason? Or has it just become the default for many situations? (for me it is definitely the latter)

Last thing before we dive into the good stuff.

When it comes to kids, think in terms of quality over quantity.

This is real life here and many days we do not have hours to devote to rock painting or watching them do a funny jump-kick thing they just learned. (I know my kid is not the only one that insists I watch her jump a certain way 55 times)

A small amount of undivided attention will not always be enough for our kids. But sometimes it will be. And truthfully, sometimes it has to be.

Something else I know for sure is that the simple things tend to be the ones that matter the most. The ones that have the most impact.

The things that they will remember.

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Here Are 24 Super Fun Things To Do As A Family At Home

1) Build a Fort

Why are blankets held up by chairs haphazardly so joyful for kids? Seriously!

What is it about a fort that kids just LOVE?

Now, this is one of those times I mentioned earlier where I default to a “no” without any real reason. It could have something to do with moving heavy chairs around and having to drag out (and later put away) every single blanket we own.

The setup is not always joy-inducing but man oh man the payoff is almost always worth it.

BTW: If you are tired of the whole chair and blanket situation, check out one of these Air Forts! (3o second setup!)

2) Game Night

Game day is more like it.

Nighttime is for dinner, baths, and then reading books before our kiddos drift off peacefully to sleep.

JUST KIDDING!

Games are great to bust out at any time though. Day or night.

This activity will vary greatly depending on the ages of your kiddos. My 18-month-old is obviously not pumped to sit at a table and play UNO.

So a little research will help narrow down the best games for your family.

A few of my family’s current favorites include Sequence, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Candy Land (such a classic), Twister, Apples to Apples Junior, Clue, and Hedbanz!

3) Books

I can still remember my mom reading to me when I was little. I can still hear the funny voices she would do for different characters. That has always stayed with me. Those memories will always be with me.

And I believe that played a pivotal role in developing my very deep love for reading.

I am so glad that both my girls are book lovers as well.

(here are some amazing books for younger kiddos)

I always love to hit up the library and get an obnoxious amount of books. And then I invest money in buying our absolute favorites.

4) Mad Libs

OK, I don’t care how old you are these things provide some good old-fashioned fun.

I have to admit something.

Some nights, after those particularly tough days, my husband and I will bust out the mad libs and have a laugh.

It seems silly but isn’t that the point?

We all deal with our fair share of seriousness in life. Inserting the word fart into a mad lib is needed every now and then.

This Would You Rather Game Book is another favorite in my house.

5) Dance Party

Music is always playing in my home.

I might even go as far as to say music is magical.

It brightens people’s moods. It has the power to turn a frustrating day around. And dancing is the perfect way to burn some energy. Especially before bed!

Pop in a Kidz Bop CD and show off your moves.

6) Pizza Party

It doesn’t have to be pizza.

It could be tacos or ice cream.

When you put the word “party” at the end of anything, it just takes it up a notch.

Most Fridays are pizza night at my house. And we usually get breadsticks. Sometimes we splurge for the cheese-stuffed ones. Whoa!

7) Get Messy

My favorite thing. (definitely not)

I will say that I welcome any type of mess much more easily when the weather is nice and it can happen outside.

But most kids love to get messy anytime they can and anywhere they can!

I have quite a few pictures from over the years of my daughter covered in paint. Was there paper available? Yep. Painting her body was just so much more appealing.

If paint is not your favorite thing, these dot markers are a great option!

Chalk is an obvious one that we use a lot outside. My driveway and front steps were masterpieces all summer.

We are all going to be comfortable with different levels of messiness. The key is to find something that you are ok with and that your kids enjoy.

8) Add Water

These water-reveal pads are great for younger kiddos. As are these doodle mats.

You know what else is great? A mid-day bath. Even my young toddler gets excited when I mention a bath. And don’t even get me started on how amazing bubbles are.

This past summer, my daughter washed my car more times than I can count. She had fun and my car was free from bird poop. (at least for a few hours until the birds realized it was gone)

OK, I might be a little bitter. I know the birds aren’t pooping on my car on purpose but it sure feels that way. The sheer amount of it feels like an attack.

Water is just an all-around winner.

9) Get in The Kitchen

Baking or cooking with kids for me would fall under the category of something I would normally not choose to do.

But kids love it. And I do have to admit that my older daughter is much more excited to eat something when she played a part in creating it.

We like this cookbook for kids and this baking book for kids. Both are full of simple and yummy recipes.

I also love this knife set for kids.

And these mini fruit cutters are great as well. A regular sandwich might not be touched but when it is shaped like a flower it is devoured. Kids, right?

These waffle makers are a favorite in my house too. (Who wouldn’t want to eat a heart waffle or a skull one or a pumpkin one?)

10) Camp

Inside or outside. I prefer the inside!

Funny story time. A couple of years ago my daughter asked told one of her great grandparents that she wanted a princess tent for her bday.

One of those small and definitely overpriced ones that only she and a couple of her stuffed animals would comfortably fit in. Although, I was 100 percent going to be asked to squeeze in there with her.

Well, she ended up getting a full-blown tent for camping. Yep. Nothing even close to the pink tent she had envisioned.

Honestly, this turned out to be such a nice little mishap.

It has been years and that tent is still going strong. I also like that no bending or squeezing is needed for me to fit inside. That’s a win in and of itself.

11) Puzzle-Mania

Calling something by a fun name just takes it up a notch.

My toddler is a huge fan of knob puzzles. These Melissa and Doug ones are fabulous.

My 8-year-old can do more challenging puzzles and it really does provide a good time. It also helps her work on her patience. (I can always use some patience practice as well)

12) Dress Up

This is something I am always down to do.

I am more than happy to throw on some fuzzy cat ears anytime.

And my daughter is more than happy to do my makeup. (which involves about 23 layers of eye shadow and lipstick that take quite a bit of elbow grease to get off)

But I get to close my eyes and (slightly) relax a little. So despite it taking me a ridiculous amount of time to scrub off, it’s not a total loss.

13) Color

Kick it old school with some coloring books.

There are grown-up coloring books too.

14) Movie Night

Sometimes the simple things are the things that you will remember the most.

I visited my grandparents all the time when I was younger. My sister and I loved spending time at their house.

And I remember sitting around watching movies. With an abundance of snacks and popcorn of course.

Cuddled up watching a movie is time well spent.

15) Hide and Seek

Go old school again with some hide and seek.

Bonus points if you find a good enough spot that allows you to take a little cat nap.

16) Build Something

Blocks are a hit in my house.

So are magna-tiles and bristle blocks. I am not one bit ashamed to admit that I truly enjoy playing with these things.

Also, these types of toys will be played with for years and years!

17) Learn

This is actually one of my favorite things on this list. Mainly because I absolutely love to learn.

My daughter and I will brainstorm some things we want to learn about and make a list. Anything goes.

Animals. Weather. How brains work. Whatever sparks our interest.

And then we go to the library one day and find books on those topics.

This is an especially great activity to do when I can tell my daughter is craving one on one time.

Side note: one on one time with our kiddos is not always possible for most of us… that’s Ok! We are all just doing the best we can with what we have.

Sometimes in order to give my older daughter one on one time, it means her going to bed a few minutes later than usual or skipping bath time.

This is just your friendly reminder that life is big and beautiful and messy and chaotic for a majority of us.

18) Yoga

My 8-year-old has developed a deep love for the word namaste.

I’m guessing she heard it in a show or movie. Either way, she enjoys relaxing to some yoga and I am going to ride that train for as long as I can.

Also, my flexibility has become nonexistent so this is doing me some good.

19) TableTopics

Kids can talk a lot. And ask a lot of questions. A LOT!

The questions here help keep a conversation focused. (well, as focused as a conversation with kids can be)

20) Boxes

Kids love boxes.

They love to climb inside of them. They love to color or paint them. Poke holes in them. Wear them.

Basically, boxes are the bee’s knees in most kids’ eyes.

21) Plan

Plan a trip. A vacation. A new park to check out or a restaurant to try.

This is obviously not fun for a toddler. But older kiddos would love this.

Kids like to be involved. They like to be a part of decisions. They like to have their voices heard and their opinions listened to.

22) Obstacle Course

Tunnels are great for this and so are these stepping stones.

But I guarantee you could set up a pretty killer obstacle course with things you have around the house.

23) Karaoke

This is a new one that has been happening in my house.

My daughter wanted a karaoke machine for her birthday and as much as I tried to change her mind. It didn’t work.

It turns out karaoke with kids can be fun. (in short bursts of course)

I am proud to say I can sing every word to every Encanto song!

24) Scrapbooking

This requires a little planning beforehand. Like a trip to the Dollar Tree.

This lets kids and adults unleash their creativity. Stickers are a favorite in my home. SO MANY STICKERS!

I also love this activity for allowing kids to practice and get comfortable with cutting.

Sometimes we can feel pressure to create all these detailed and intricate activities for our kids. Social media might play a role in this.

We can see a picture of a craft and almost instantly feel the guilt coming on.

I urge you to confront that feeling. Don’t fight it but question it.

Is your child really missing out on an important part of life because you don’t have them create works of art out of paper plates and toilet paper rolls?

Nope. Paper and crayons are just fine.

And if you are someone who loves to make weekly crafts out of paper plates and bake a souffle with your kids then that’s amazing.

There’s room for it all. And it is all ok.

As long as fun is making an appearance, I am here to remind you that you are doing a great job.

Which one of these fun things to do as a family at home is your favorite?

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